Windsor Gets Vindication, Moves On To Final

This Time Around, No Miracle Ending For New Canaan

STRATFORD — — In the Class L semifinals last season, Windsor lost to New Canaan on a last-second field goal. In a rematch Sunday, the second-seeded Warriors didn't want to leave the field with the same empty feeling.

"We didn't want that same feeling," Devonte Dillon said. "It was a real bad feeling in your gut that you never want to have again."

The sixth-seeded Rams, however, had an opportunity to hand Windsor another heartbreaking defeat and go to their sixth straight final. Michael DiCosmo picked up a Quinn Fleeting mishandled snap and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown to cut the Warriors' lead to six with 41 seconds remaining. New Canaan was an onside kick away from having a chance to win.

"It just goes to show that the game's never over," Windsor coach Rob Fleeting said.

Windsor, however, avoided deja vu as Dillon recovered the onside kick and Windsor ran out the clock to defeat New Canaan 27-21 and advance to the Class L final for the first time since 2002.

"I thought [the onside kick] was going out of bounds, I wasn't sure but I grabbed it and ran out of bounds," Dillon said. "I just started yelling, 'We did it.'"

Windsor (11-0) will face top-seeded Hand in the state championship Friday or Saturday (to be announced) at Rentschler Field. Windsor will be looking for its first football title.

"It's always a good feeling," Fleeting said. "I'm very proud of our coaching staff, kids and support we get from our school, administration and community."

Added Quinn Fleeting: "It really felt good for all of us. In the beginning of the week in practice, we really worked hard, and we said we are coming into this game and we are going to win it, and that's what we did."

Windsor led 20-0 in the third quarter. Fleeting scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak with 2:13 left in the first quarter. With 10:34 left in the second half, Fleeting, who completed 11 of 18 passes for 120 yards, hit a wide-open Ryheime Moore in stride for a 45-yard touchdown. With 7:49 left in the third, Dillon intercepted Nick Cascione and returned it to the 7-yard line. Dillon said the previous play, there was a miscommunication between the receiver and quarterback. Dillon saw the quarterback talking to his coach and was ready for them to run the same play. On the next play, Dillon ran it in to make the score 20-0.

"The o-line was blocking their butts off, and I was just running behind them," said Dillon, who finished with 45 yards on 10 carries.

Less than six minutes later, New Canaan (9-3) found the scoreboard. Teddy Bossidy threw a 45-yard touchdown to Cole Turpin and the deficit was 13. In the fourth, Dillon scored on another 7-yard run, giving Windsor a 27-7 lead with 7:38 remaining. At the 5:49 mark, Louis Hagopian completed a methodical New Canaan drive with a 1-yard touchdown.

"The second half, we came out, really wanted to put some points on the board ... it was just too little too late," Hagopian said.

Windsor recovered the onside kick and seemed to have the game in hand until Fleeting's fumble with under one minute to go.

"I can't say enough about the effort and the never-say-die attitude these kids have," New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli said. "You've got to give credit to Windsor, they're well-coached. The way we beat them last year, a field goal in the last couple seconds, they were better than us today. ... They deserve to go."